Possible critters fouling up the cabin air filter.

Hi all, was changing my cabin air filter today and found this mess. A bunch of acorn shells and other trash on top of the filter.
Is there a way into that area for a squirrel or a chipmunk? I don't see where it would be.

Thx,

 

Man, that looks nasty!

Did you leave your truck in the forest for a long time?

I'm surprised you were even able to remove the filter from the slot.

 

I do go camping a few times a year but I often leave it in the driveway at home for days at a time (I have an old Hyundai to use) and we have a lot of trees and squirrels here. Not sure how they get in.
When I pulled the filter out today, all that fluffy stuff and some of the acorns shells fell back in to the blower fan blades. Took a while to clean that out.
This is the first time it was ever changed, the vehicle has about 47,000 miles on it.

 

Well, looks like to me you might consider shortening the cabin filter inspection interval. Just my opinion.

 

For sure!

 

I have the same problem.

Most likely mice.

 

DITTO

Found the same thing in my wife’s T4R cabin filter while completing a 50,000 service- mine appears to be a mouse nest

DAM rodents !!

 

The quickest way to clean your blower fan is just to rip out the kick plate, unclip the power connector, unscrew the fan, take it out of the truck and hit it with some compressed air.

 

Thanks, I'll try that. I'd like to get rid of as much of that crap as possible.

 

It’s held in place by 3 8mm screws, you can probably loosen them by hand or use a socket wrench.

It’s very simple.

 

You have to stay ahead of them critters. Bought a used explorer last year and found this (below) when I took the battery out, in prep to run power into the cabin. They got after the primary wire that fed the fuse box.

Dag gum varmints love that soy based insulation that many manufacturers are using. Nothing that some industrial grade heat shrink could not fix.. but geez!

 

Damn!

 

What is the point of entry that animals use to get to the filter box?

I thought the outside air entered thru the grill on top behind the hood. I don't see how animals could fit except small mice?

 

This happened to my motorcycle after storing it one winter in a friend's shed/barn. The mice got into the toolkit area under the seat as well as in the glovebox (which is part of the front fairing on the R1100RT). Terrible, but those little things find their way wherever they can. It's warm inside a motorcycle. Even moreso in a 4Runner air filter box.

 

Be glad that was all. We went on a short multi day trip in our van.
My Trail had gained a misfire. Then it got worse. Found squirrels and moved in under the intake manifold. They chewed the wires to my injectors. R & R 5 of six, compressed air moved their living quarters out of the engine compartment.
We live in the mountains. Fairly common.

 

If the rodent head will fit then the rest of the body will squeeze through.

Mice can fit through a hole the diameter of a dime. Rats, a nickel.

 

Wow, that's crazy and creepy.

 

A few zip ties...cotton balls...and peppermint essential oil

 

It must have been mice in my fan area. I've caught a couple in our shed out back. A squirrel couldn't squeeze through that grill up top.
Going to keep an eye on it going forward. It's really easy to open and check.

 

Spray some peppermint oil/extract on the cabin filter and engine filter. Works for me.

 

A service advisor at my local dealer told me they have pulled cabin filters that included dead mice. Small field mice.

 

In the case of my motorcycle, field mice had bred families in there -- and in addition to mouse droppings everywhere in there, there were also a few of their kids that didn't make it. Not a nice thing to find, but common in the country for sure.

Peppermint oil is a good recommendation. I. have also heard if you put a dryer sheet in there it can prevent them from homesteading in there.